Watch the Throne

The NBA's gone Hollywood. Big-Market teams have always prospered in professional sports, but the recent trend toward the bright lights and sandy beaches of populous locales - coupled with the notion that it takes 3 superstars to win a championship - has put teams in smaller markets at an even steeper disadvantage. Amid all the free agency insanity, blockbuster trade rumors, Twitter chatter and front office ineptitude, they remain spectators to the juicy action, shackled by trade vetoes (apparently not just by players) and limited financial maneuverability.

Despite this, underneath all the madness, in relatively humble Oklahoma City, lies the closest thing the NBA has to a flawlessly-run team. Although the Thunder arrived there through one of the dirtiest schemes in the history of pro sports, they fell into good hands; not only the best fans in the league, but GM Sam Presti, who set up a team of balanced, cohesive talent by drafting well, acquiring affordable veteran support, and having the massive fortune of Portland favoring Greg Oden. Four years ago they were bench fodder, but after a rapid ascent through the ranks, they're now favored by many to come out of a Western Conference that's suddenly having an identity crisis. Things were almost going too well...

Last night, things hit a boiling point between Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, with the two screaming at each other during a 2nd quarter timeout. Although both had typically downplayed it in interviews, a discontent between the two had been visibly brewing since last spring, when Westbrook's amazingly stubborn refusal to pass the ball to the 2-time reigning scoring champ down the stretch of close games became one of the playoffs' most talked-about stories. That this apparently-resolved issue has led to the team's two most talented players getting at each other in the 2nd quarter of the season's 3rd game sets a disturbing precedent for the rest of the season.

Give the two of them some slack; they embody a precocious team that, still among the NBA's youngest, is also among its best. But the Thunder narrowly missed out on the Finals last year in a conference that now looks like David Kahn; real weak at the top. In order to seize control of this team's momentum and truly contend, there has to be a seamless synergy between two guys who are of such importance. It already wasn't happening on the court, but the threat of it becoming greater, if it hasn't already happened, can't be risked. This isn't the first Westbrook bench outburst, nor is it the first time he's forced serious debate about his role on this team (who pulled out a win over a tough Memphis team despite his 0-13 masterpiece).

It's a difficult dilemma for several reasons; first because Westbrook is obviously a loose cannon and extremely strong-headed (aside from very good at basketball). Second because Kevin Durant and Scott Brooks, for all their merits, both seem to lack that "fuck you" meanness to put him in his place. Trading him would be an extreme measure, but again, think about what's on the line here: a shot at an NBA title. Westbrook's already a consensus top-20 talent with upside to spare, and headcase aside might have one of the highest trade values in the league. Any point they fetch in return wouldn't be as talented, but would be infinitely more likely to defer to the team's best player and be generally less volatile, toss in some perhaps-needed bench support on the wing, move Harden into the starting 5 and maybe it works.

The direction this situation takes will be the ultimate measure of talent vs. cohesion. Kobe and Shaq was a no-brainer; they 3-peated even as they seethed at each other. This could not only determine OKC's stock as a future contender, but swing the title. If Westbrook can get himself on a leash and become more of a consistent leader, then there's no reason why Oklahoma can't contend for several titles with this squad. But that will require him doing a lot more growing up this year than he's shown the potential for. He could stand to learn a lesson from the guy he's beefing with; Durant has been a model of humble, committed, and prematurely mature superstardom; a rare gem in a league cluttered by the billboards, fanfare and excessive contracts of massive markets, much like his team.

But while they're fighting for the NBA throne, Westbrook and Durant can't be fighting between themselves for the right to rule the Thunder. Something's gotta give.

After The Goldrush: Looking Back and Forward on the New NBA Season

Well, it wasn't so much of a goldrush, maybe more like a pyrite rush after some of the ridiculousness we saw over the first few weeks of a belated, official NBA "offseason". It was a bizarre, hectic and in some cases league-altering couple of weeks, so now that most of dust's settled and we're just days away from what's sure to be the best Christmas ever, let's take a look back at the madness, and try to make some sense of it:

- Surely the story of the past weeks was the Chris Paul trade odyssey and David Stern's repeated attempts to get his Gaddafi on, blocking completely legitimate offers for his adopted team's prized PG not once, but twice. Finally enough league and public outcry forced him to realize he was being an irrational asshole, and he let the re-submitted deal pass. The result: the Empty Clips now look like legit homecourt threats in the West, and we've been blessed with the divine privilege of watching CP throw Blake Griffin oops all year. This trade made sense on too many levels: Paul wanted to play in LA. The Clippers had considerably the best package to offer. It would be the ultimate "Fuck You" to a Lakers team that's had the odds stacked in their favor for decades and just got denied their own shot at Paul. We now get to indulge in what could become the best highlight reel tandem ever, finally spared of an increasingly delusional tyrant's iron fist.

- Not too far behind the trend-meter was Dwight Howard's "they love me, they love me not..." trade drama in Orlando, which is making Dwight look more like a child every day, and leading me to think he'd be best off just staying with the Magic and being so close to Disney World. Dude, just be straight with Otis Smith; the poor guy already has a very difficult time with his job, and you changing your mind about your trade desires every time a Twitter follower talks you into it isn't gonna make this go any smoother.

- In missing out on CP3, the Lakers continued the implosion that seemed to have reached its peak with the their 2nd-round sweep last spring. Lamar Odom, upset that his team felt was good enough to trade for the BEST POINT GUARD ALIVE, felt betrayed and demanded a trade. So where do they send him? Obviously to the team that knocked them out last year. And what'd they get in return? Oh ya, absolutely nothing! Great move! Now the Odom giveaway has angered Kobe Bryant (who's also getting divorced and has a legion of NBA heads telling him he's not that great anymore), Metta World Peace (...really?) is dawning upon the most useless season of his career, the words "condensed schedule" might as well mean "injured reserve" for Andrew Bynum, and your nefarious, two-headed point guard demon of Derek Fisher and Steve Blake? Probably the worst in the NBA. That Jerry Buss decided to replace the modern era's greatest coach with a McDonald's mascot didn't help matters much. When the Lakers lose in the first round this year, count me unsurprised.

- I know big men are scarce in the NBA today, but was it REALLY necessary to give Nene, a guy with a heavy injury/illness record who's never been a top-2 player on his team or averaged 8 rebs/game, 14/mil a year?? Didn't we just have a lockout because of shit like this?

- Speaking of stupid contracts, Joe Dumars sealed his nosedive in complete senility last week when he spent $40million locking up his team's 3rd and 4th small forwards; Tayshaun Prince (who hasn't wanted to play in Detroit for like 5 years) and Jones Jerebko (who played pretty well for 6 months and then sat out all last year). For the record Joe, you'll be committing roughly 25% of your team's cap space next year to three reserve small forwards while your starter makes less money than all of them. It looks like Joe's trying to get himself fired, but I find it far more likely a bunch of angry Pistons fans will just put him in ICU instead.

- The Big Apple just got bigger: The Knicks have picked up Khalid El-Amin.....er, sorry Baron Davis, to shore up their pathetic backcourt. whether Baron has anything left in the tank remains to be seen, but if he can lose the In N Out addiction and his un-entitled air of accomplishment, his coupling with Tyson Chandler could take the Knicks' renaissance to yet new heights. At the very least, all the running he'll be doing in Mike D'Antoni's system should be good cardio.

- KAAAHHHHHHHHNNNN. Why did you sign JJ Barea when you already had four guards? Moreover, why did you sign JJ Barea for $20mil when you already had four guards? We knew somebody was going to overpay Barea after last year's inevitable "I'm going to play the best basketball of my career for these six weeks, sign a fat deal, then never do anything relevant again" run, but that it ended up being David Kahn couldn't have been more appropriate.

- David West also spurned Boston, in what Ray Allen called an "ego-driven" move, to sign with Indiana(right, like anyone with a fucking ego goes and plays for the Pacers). They now sport a slightly-frightening frontcourt corps (aided greatly by Mike Dunleavy no longer being a part of it), some promising young talent, and have the advantage of a solid headstart on the rebuilding effort that's sure to face many teams...Which leads us to....

THE LEAGUE IN FLUX
The ultimate effect of the lockout and its subsequent few weeks of open-market madness is that the NBA is in a state of serious transition that is sure to engulf an overwhelming majority of the league's teams. Right now, only three squads (Miami, Chicago, OKC) can safely call themselves contending teams with absolutely no reason to blow things up. Everybody else is vulnerable; that includes the Lakers, Mavs, Celtics, Spurs, Magic, Hawks, and even teams on the rise like the Knicks and Grizzlies. Plenty of other teams didn't get what they were looking for in the offseason, and still more over-rate their contention chances and feel they're "one piece away" from grabbing a Larry.O trophy that, like last year, could be anyone's. This might be most uncertain season we've ever embarked upon, and with 66 games coming in 120 days between under-prepared teams on unfamiliar schedules and regimens, with plenty of trades and free agency rumors circling like an annoying flock of shrieking vultures, things may only get crazier from here. If ever there an NBA season where "anything can happen", well this is it. Get ready to expect the unexpected.... Which is why I'm counting on the predictions I'm dropping here to blow up in my face, but oh well, what can ya do:

MVP - Lebron James. I just think he'll hungrier. He just spent a whole summer listening to people say he cost his team an NBA title, which you can trust he took much more personally than everything else he heard the summer before. Look for a serious "fuck off" statement.

DPOY - Dwight Howard. Not even gonna bother explaining this.

ROY - Kyrie Irving. Being Rookie of the Year is usually all about opportunity and how you respond to it. Irving will have plenty of opportunity now that Baron Davis is out of Cleveland and he'll have the point guard duties all to himself. There's sure to be a steep learning curve, but in a shallow class, there's no reason to bet against him.

MIP - Serge Ibaka. A lot of people like to overlook this, but Ibaka first picked up a basketball at age 18. That was three years ago. He's now one of the premiere defensive bigs in the NBA, has improved in bounds each season, and now as a full-time starter is primed to make "the leap".

6th Man - James Harden. This is a stretch, because a big part of me is convinced he'll punk Thabo Sefolosha's starting spot by the All-Star break (is there even one this year?). But most of me hopes he remains on the bench, where he's a dangerous 2nd scoring punch, who can also see minutes at the point and aptly playmake, because I think it makes the Thunder a better team, and so I look smarter.

COY - Fuck, I dunno, is Hubie Brown still coaching?

EAST PLAYOFF TEAMS - 1.Miami 2.Chicago 3.Boston 4.Indiana 5.New York 6.Atlanta 7. Philadelphia 8. Orlando

WEST PLAYOFF TEAMS - 1.OKC 2.Dallas 3.Memphis 4.LA Clippers 5.LA Lakers 6.San Antonio 7.Denver 8.Portland

EAST FINALS: Heat over Bulls
WEST FINALS: Thunder over Grizz
NBA CHAMPS: Miami Heat (let's all pray this doesn't actually happen. Last June was way too much fun)

Before I wrap this up, just wanted to offer some proper dues to a few we lost this week: Brandon Roy, who was tragically cut down in the prime of an All-Star career, Peja Stojakovic, who also retired after terrorizing perimeters all decade, and Jeff Green, the latest in a disturbing line of heart ailment suffered by NBA players, will be sidelined all season. All the best to Roy and Peja in their future endeavors, and our thoughts and wishes should be with Jeff Green and his family, that he might overcome this illness and return to the Celtics soon.

Well, sure enough, it's almost here. The regular season's tipping off in 5 days and has me sleeplessly awaiting Sunday like a giddy 5-year-old. Merry Christmas indeed everyone, enjoy the season.